Steam iron device for ironing and removing creases

ABSTRACT

A steam iron device for ironing and removing creases, intended for smoothing operations, in particular vertical, includes a heating body, a boiler for producing steam, a water tank, and a metal soleplate pierced with holes to allow the steam to pass. An outer wall of the soleplate has a partially curved shape and includes two parts: a flat front part, and a convex curved rear part. The flat front part is tangent to the convex curved rear part.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

See Application Data Sheet.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (EFS-WEB)

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a steam iron device for ironing and removing creases.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.

Removing creases with steam consists of spraying steam onto the piece of fabric to be treated, which can be an item of clothing or household linens. The sprayed steam makes it possible to expand the textile fibers, and thus to eliminate the creases. This requires good control over the quality of the steam, as well as its temperature and quantity.

In general, the existing steam devices for removing creases have the drawback of either poor control over the quality of the sprayed steam, which results in also spraying drops of water, which is detrimental to the quality of the smoothing, or cumbersome equipment that is tedious to use and takes considerable time, such as smoothing units with a tank and having a long, thick tube that is inflexible and difficult to move. Such a smoothing unit is for example described in document EP 2,610,404. To obtain steam, it is necessary to heat the entire reservoir first.

Regarding the quality of the steam, the existing fully portable devices, other than the units, only make it possible to produce 17 to 20 grams per minute of fairly heavy steam.

Furthermore, the steam crease removal devices of the unit type only have one steam spray nozzle, such that it is necessary to use a pressing operation to obtain an optimal result, which involves also using a traditional iron.

To offset these drawbacks, some propose replacing the spray nozzle with an iron adapted to spray steam for crease removal.

However, these irons have the drawback of not being suitable for smoothing operations; indeed, to perform such operations, the iron, or the spray nozzle, should be moved at the small distance from, or even in contact with, the fabrics to be treated, yet frequently in the case of irons, the latter catch on that fabric by their plate when they come into contact with the fabric, which may be detrimental to the quality of the ironing. Furthermore, the ergonomics are not optimal and require a reversal of the wrist that is difficult to maintain for a significant length of time.

Furthermore, manipulating an iron for a smoothing operation quickly becomes unpleasant, in particular due to the weight of the iron that must be held at the end of the arm.

No steam iron device exists making it possible to iron and remove creases, and the present invention aims to resolve this deficiency and propose such a steam iron device for ironing and removing creases, making it possible to perform not only ironing operations, but also quality smoothing operations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The steam iron device for ironing and removing creases, intended for smoothing operations, in particular vertical according to the present invention, includes a heating body, a boiler or the like for producing steam, a water tank, a metal soleplate pierced with holes to allow the steam to pass, and is characterized in that the outer wall of the soleplate has a partially curved shape, i.e., includes two parts, a flat front part, and a convex curved rear part to which said flat part is tangent.

The flat part makes it possible to iron by pressing the fabric, while the curved part makes it possible to approach said fabric in an avoidance movement during a smoothing operation without any risk of catching on said fabric.

According to one additional feature of the steam iron device for ironing and removing creases according to the invention, the heating body is alongside the soleplate so as to heat the latter by conduction.

According to one additional feature of the steam iron device for ironing and removing creases according to the invention, the inner wall of the soleplate:

-   -   includes wells that protrude therefrom and each coincide with         one of the holes of the soleplate, said wells extending in a         chamber in which the steam is sprayed, and     -   is associated with a system for collecting the residual water,         arranged at the base of said chamber, i.e., on the back side of         the soleplate, and comprising a collection line for collecting         water from the steam that does not pass through said holes,         toward the reservoir.

It will be understood that the steam is sprayed into the chamber, and that from this chamber, steam is sprayed toward the outside by passing through the wells. The excess steam, which may form drops of water, is not sprayed through the holes, but streams in the form of drops of water on the inner wall of the soleplate while bypassing said wells, until it reaches the collection system, advantageously for recycling.

According to one additional feature of the steam iron device for ironing and removing creases according to the invention, the chamber contains an eliminate or filter.

According to another additional feature of the steam iron device for ironing and removing creases according to the invention, the eliminating filter assumes the form of a buffer, made up of a jumble of wires and/or shavings.

According to another additional feature of the steam iron device for ironing and removing creases according to the invention, it includes a rechargeable battery system to operate wirelessly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the steam iron device for ironing and removing creases according to the invention will emerge more clearly from the following description relative to the appended drawing, which shows one non-limiting embodiment thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a profile side elevation view of the steam iron device for ironing and removing creases according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of part of the same device.

FIG. 3 shows a partial diagrammatic sectional view of the same device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an iron device according to the invention for ironing. It includes a body 1 comprising a handle 10 and an activation trigger 11, and a metal soleplate 2.

Also in reference to FIG. 2, which shows the soleplate 2, one can see that the latter has contours similar to those of the soleplate of known iron devices, but that its outer wall 20, i.e., that intended to come into contact with fabric to be treated, is not completely flat; it in fact comprises two parts, a flat front part 21, and a convex curved rear part 22, the front part 21 extending the rear part 22 while being tangent thereto.

It will be noted that the terms front and rear are chosen relative to the movement direction of the iron, knowing that, traditionally, the iron is used by pushing it, and that its front part, with the contours giving it a pointed shape, is the part that comes into contact first with the part of the fabric to be ironed.

The soleplate 2, both the flat front part 21 and the curved rear part 22, includes holes 23 allowing the spraying of steam created inside.

From a usage perspective, the flat front part 21 is intended to be used to iron by exerting pressure, like a traditional iron is used, while the curved part 22 is intended to be used for removing creases, essentially vertical, by bringing the soleplate 2 close to the fabric in order to spray steam. The curved shape makes it possible to compensate the wrist action by the operator, and to avoid catching on the fabric.

The shape of the soleplate 2, in particular of its flat front part 21, resolves the problems of ironing certain fabrics, such as linen, which necessarily require stronger contact. The curved rear part 22 makes it possible to slide over the textile easily in all vertical portions, and its temperature better softens the textile, unlike an iron, which can only come into contact with the textile in a horizontal position.

In reference to FIG. 3, one can see the inner part of the iron device according to the invention, behind the soleplate 2, where a heating body 3 is positioned that transmits the heat produced by conduction to the soleplate 2.

The inner wall 24 of the soleplate 2 includes wells 25 that protrude therefrom and the channels 26 of which each coincide with a hole 23.

The wells 25 extend in a chamber 4 in which steam V is sprayed that is produced by a boiler or the like, not shown.

Part of the steam V enters the channels 26 to emerge from the soleplate 2 in jets J. The steam that does not pass through the channels 26 streams in the form of drops of water over the inner wall 24 to be collected at the base in a line 27, for recycling.

According to the invention, only steam passes through the lines 25, any drops of water being trapped on the inner wall 24.

With the aim of optimizing the iron device according to the invention, it is provided to additionally trap any drops of water by arranging an eliminator element, not shown, in the chamber 4. Given the high temperature, it is not possible to use a foam, so this eliminator element is made from metal, preferably, but non-limitingly, aluminum, magnesium or stainless steel, made up of wires or shavings, and having the appearance of a buffer of the steel wool type.

This design of the iron makes it possible to produce steam flow rates of around 30 grams per minute of quality steam, i.e., fine, while allowing the iron device to have a reasonable weight and size for the user, even when it is provided to be wireless, while being equipped with rechargeable batteries. 

1. A steam iron device for ironing and removing creases in smoothing operations, comprises: a heating body, a boiler producing steam, a water tank, and a metal soleplate pierced with holes, the steam passing through said holes, wherein said metal soleplate has an outer wall with a partially curved shape, and wherein said metal soleplate is comprised of a flat front part, and a convex curved rear part, said flat front part being tangent to said convex curved rear part.
 2. The iron device,. according to cclaim 1, wherein said heating body is alongside the soleplate so as to heat the soleplate by conduction.
 3. The iron device, according to claim 1, wherein the soleplate is further comprised of an inner wall: wherein said inner wall is comprised of wells protruding from said inner wall, each well coincided with a respective holes, said wells extending in a chamber, and wherein the steam is sprayed in said chamber, and wherein said inner wall is connected to a system for collecting the residual water, arranged at a base of said chamber, on a back side of the soleplate, and wherein the system for collecting comprises a collection line for water from the steam collected at said holes, toward a reservoir.
 4. The iron device, according to claim 3, wherein said chamber contains an eliminator filter.
 5. The iron device according to claim 4, wherein said eliminator filter is comprised of a buffer, said buffer being comprised of a jumble of at least one of wires and shavings.
 6. The iron device, according to claim 1, further comprising: a rechargeable battery system to operate wirelessly. 